


brighter than sunshine

by twosetmeridian



Series: counterpoint [twosetviolin oneshots] [1]
Category: Twosetviolin
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Grocery Store, Falling In Love, M/M, RPF, Romance, i can't believe there's a tag for that lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-22 21:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21308863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twosetmeridian/pseuds/twosetmeridian
Summary: there's a man who keeps buying a strange mix of grocery items. as trusty cashier ofschubert safemart, eddy's immensely intrigued.
Relationships: Eddy Chen/Brett Yang
Series: counterpoint [twosetviolin oneshots] [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1560592
Comments: 18
Kudos: 217





	brighter than sunshine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jackpotgirl1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jackpotgirl1/gifts).

> _→ ig request: grocery store/bookstore where one is the cashier and the other always buys random stuff just to get to talk to the other person_
> 
> title from _brighter than sunshine_ by aqualung.
> 
>   
**[ crossposted from wattpad; published 8/30/2019 ] **

**i.**

the first time eddy notices brett, it's not because of his puppy-soft features nor the artless sweep of his bangs falling into his eyes (though to be fair, the shorter man had been hiding his face in his hoodie that day).

it's because of the fact that he's just stacked seven boxes of lucky charms: magical unicorn marshmallows on the checkout counter, and no person in their right mind would buy that many boxes for themselves, just saying. eddy has his own opinion.

it's only through months and months of trained polite-service discipline that eddy doesn't gape at the sight. by the time he's composed himself enough to move again, the stacks of cereal boxes precariously teeter, and so eddy reaches out and steadies them. "will these be all, sir?" he asks the man on the other side of the cardboard wall, the tip of his hoodie just barely peeking out from the top.

"yes, please," comes the quiet answer, decidedly soft even as the voice is deep and masculine. eddy hums, begins to swipe the cereal up, box by box. slowly, the cardboard tower dwindles, and then—

their eyes meet. a rosy blush blooms on the other man's cheeks. a trick of the light, perhaps? eddy isn't really sure.

"thank you," the customer mumbles, quickly gathering the shopping bags and scurrying out the door. eddy stares after him for a few minutes and then shrugs.

weird, but oh well; whatever.

**ii.**

the next time eddy sees the bespectacled man, it's on a cold tuesday morning and he's dressed in a far more respectable fashion than before. no more messy bedhair and ratty hoodie; now that eddy can actually see his face, well. it's not a bad face, is what he thinks, and _what the hell?_

he resists the urge to slap himself over the weird thought—_propriety, eddy; propriety!_—and opts to focus instead on the items he's ringing up on the cash register.

a cup of hummus and a head of iceberg lettuce, and then nothing else. so far, it's not the weirdest of combinations eddy's encountered, but it's still not a grocery list you see everyday. is this customer planning on _only_ eating hummus and lettuce at home or something?

"what's the hummus for," eddy asks. he'd almost forgotten they still sell those things.

the other man looks as if he's caught off guard by the question, jolting backwards just a bit, and then shrugs wordlessly. the faint smile on his mouth can only be described as _enigmatic_.

"alright, then, keep your secrets," eddy mock-complains, his lips curling up in amusement.

this man is interesting. he should probably keep an eye on him from now on.

**iii.**

there's significantly more items on this particular customer's grocery list today. eddy's been keeping track of the man's shopping habits, and it's been quite the _interesting _journey.

aside from the hummus and the iceberg lettuce, he's now bought frozen udon noodles, a lime, two oranges, a kiwi, a can of mixed nuts, a strawberry ice pop, whipped cream, and an eggplant.

eddy takes one long look at the items spread across the checkout counter, oddly laid out in a straight line and clumped together in groups, and then glances up at the buyer in question. even the man himself looks unsure of his own purchase, and that amusing thought of all things is what spurs eddy to strike up a conversation.

"you know, i should probably know the name of the guy with the weird grocery lists, if he's going to keep doing this every time he visits _schubert safemart_," he casually murmurs, just loud enough for the customer to hear.

"ah," says the man at first, looking bewildered, and then he lets out a nervous chuckle. "i-it's weird, huh?"

wait, okay, now that the other guy is repeating the words he said, it really does sound kind of offensive. eddy hurriedly shakes his head, putting his hand up in an effort to appease the customer. "sorry, i mean—just a little? it's not _bad_ or anything, just unusual. sorry."

there is stunned silence for a few seconds before a chuckle rings out, and _wow_, the man's laugh sounds like what sunshine would sound like. that statement doesn't make sense whatsoever, but it really does sound like it, eddy thinks. brighter than sunshine, in fact.

"my name's brett," the man finally introduces himself with a shy smile, and then he points towards eddy's nametag. "i know your name already, but hello anyway, eddy."

"hello, brett," eddy repeats, delighted. finally, a name to the mystery.

it starts snowballing from there.

**iv.**

over the next few times brett visits the store, eddy learns that he's a music student in the nearby conservatory, and that he had first walked into the store because the store shares its name with a classical composer and also because he finds the word _safemart_ incredibly funny, when paired with the word _schubert._

brett shares that tidbit of knowledge with him with a strange smirk. eddy doesn't really understand what's so hilarious about it, but what does he know?

he's grateful for the fact that the man cares enough to share the information with him, though. there's the beginnings of a burgeoning friendship in there somewhere, and so eddy offers his own story in return: the humble little grocery store had been bequeathed to him by his grandfather, and so he'd dropped out of school early to manage it.

"i would have probably gone to music school like you too, if i had the chance," eddy tells brett, a wistful note in his voice even as he regrets nothing of his actions.

"guess i'll just have to teach you things, then," brett replies, that sunshine-laugh taking flight once more into the air around them, and eddy's heart soars.

**v.**

eddy's not a fan of jumping to conclusions lest he gets them horribly wrong, but there's just something in the way brett stares at him sometimes that feels somewhat expectant, oftentimes disappointed, rarely if ever suspiciously unreadable.

he doesn't know what to think of those yet. with the quiet stirrings in his chest, however, he might have to soon.

**vi.**

it's dark out, the sun settling down under the horizon to rest, and eddy's about to close the store and head home when the electronic bell chimes, signaling the entrance of another customer. pushing down the exhausted sigh in his throat, eddy pokes his head out of the backroom door and is mildly surprised to find brett standing in the middle of aisle seven, looking a little lost amidst the rows of dried produce.

he doesn't think he should say anything quite yet, but after a few moments of unmoving silence on brett's part, it's probably best to intervene. "hey bro, we're just about to close up," eddy says, masking his worry with a polite smile.

"s-sorry, i, uh," the other man pauses, and under the harsh florescent lighting, the shadows on brett's face look gaunt, hollow. the flicker of concern in eddy's gut flares brighter. "i just wanted to—buy some dried seaweed," brett trails off, halfheartedly plucking a pack of the aforementioned seaweed off the shelf near him.

_yeah, right._ he really does need an intervention. eddy throws the apron off himself, strides over to the other man and gently takes away the pack of seaweed. "let's go get some coffee," he tells brett, steering him towards the cold drinks section. "i hope you don't mind it iced."

moments later, they sit on the pavement outside the store, brett's figure outlined by the dim light of the store's neon signage, and spend the next few hours talking about anything under the glow of the moon. it's one of the most peaceful nights eddy's had, in a long time.

**vii.**

brett's been buying the same things over and over recently, and after all the strange grocery lists they've went through by this point, eddy can't help but take note of them. he takes note of everything brett does, nowadays.

he does _not_ have a crush on the other, thank you very much. it's just—objective academic interest. that's all. he most definitely does _not_ look forward to brett's biweekly trips to the store, of course not.

"thanks, eddy," the other man tells him, his eyes glued to the items being swiped by the cash register. there's resignation etched across the firm line of brett's spine, a foregone conclusion in the way his gaze flickers back and forth between each purchase he's made. eddy doesn't really understand why. what could be causing those looks on his face—?

and then eddy looks. _really_ looks.

a tub of vanilla ice cream. one lemon. a small bag of ice cubes. a bunch of kale. an egg tray. a pack of frozen udon noodles. fresh endives. a daikon radish. a box of danish rolls. a cup of yogurt.

_huh_. and then—_oh._

brett's out the door by the time eddy comes back to himself, and _no no no_, letting him get away with this any longer is unacceptable. he swipes a pen from the counter, scribbles on the nearest sheet of paper he can reach, which turns out to be—

well. thank god the other man's left his receipt. 

**coda.**

brett sighs as he heaves the shopping bags over his shoulder. maybe his approach to this _thing_ he's doing to get eddy's attention has been way too vague. at this point, he's practically drowning under all the food he's been buying.

there's only so many ways he can cook an egg, his stomach is complaining over the heavy amount of udon he's consumed over the course of three weeks, and he doesn't even want to think about all the danish rolls he's had to give away in his classes because he hadn't been able to finish eating them all. at least his professors love him more now, so that's a bonus. 

but still: this can't go on. maybe brett should just _talk_ to eddy. you know, like a normal human being—

"_hey!_"

the sudden shout startles him; brett almost drops all his groceries, but thank god for his quick reflexes. looking over his shoulder, he sees eddy hurtling down the sidewalk to meet him, apron flying and name tag askew. "yeah? what's wrong?" he's about to assume the worst when the cashier hands over his purchase receipt, panting slightly as he grins.

"sorry, you almost forgot your receipt. don't do that again, please?"

"oh my god," brett laughs; he can't help it. "idiot. i could've gotten it next time, right?"

"no, no." eddy catches his gaze, his expression sobering up. "this is—this is important. you might need to read something on it or whatever."

brett highly doubts it, but who is he to argue? he shakes his head at the other man. "well, thanks, i guess. you must really love your job to care this much about receipts, huh?"

"well, you know. it's not so bad." eddy shoves his hands in the pockets of his apron, rocks back and forth on the soles of his shoes. "i get to meet interesting people, so there's that." he coughs all of a sudden, as if embarrassed. brett raises an eyebrow. "anyway, i'll see you tomorrow! don't forget this piece of wisdom, cashier to customer: receipts are _important_, and you should read them more often!"

well, all brett's going to read on his receipt are the hidden messages he's tried to convey via grocery items, but eddy doesn't need to know that. or at least, not yet. not like this. _god,_ it had been such a bad idea, in hindsight. he has to force down the urge to cringe before eddy notices. "yeah, yeah, okay, now go back to work!" 

eddy nods, and then runs back to the store. brett waves after him, and it's by some stroke of luck that he looks down at the receipt and notices black smudges on it, like someone's written on the back of the paper. brett turns it around, and—

a phone number hastily written out by a frantic hand, and a message.

_i lemon-ice-kale-eggs u too. call me up and let's have dinner maybe? peppermint-lettuce-sugar? :))))_

_yeah, okay_, brett thinks, standing in the sunshine warmth, a blush crawling up his cheeks. _maybe that wasn't such a bad idea._


End file.
